We live in an instant gratification society, much to the detriment of processes that actually involve this little thing called time. Now don’t get me wrong. I’m a fan of quick-and-easy, as long as it won’t affect results. But some things take time. And at the top of the list is this: eCommerce.
During my copywriting career, I’ve gotten calls from people with “great ideas” for products to sell on the web. Some of these people realize they’re looking at this thing called eCommerce. More often than not, though, they don’t have a clue (note: I’m not trying to be snarky here; I appreciate their enthusiasm, but you need more than enthusiasm to set up a successful online business). My conversations with these people usually go something like this:
Me: “Sounds interesting. Tell me more, like when are you looking to launch?”
Prospect: “As soon as possible. What are your rates?”
Me: “Well, I like to get a feel for not only the scope of the project, but also the product itself. In fact, you can never send a copywriter too much info. Send me your business plan, marketing research, links to competitors, and anything else your eCommerce developer and marketing person have available.”
The prospects who understand eCommerce will usually have no problem giving me an overview of these items and then happily sending me info once I’ve signed a non-disclosure agreement.
As for those other prospects? You know, the ones who think eCommerce is microwaveable, i.e. “instantaneous”? There’s usually a long pause, followed by some mumbling, and an explanation that it’s just a start-up, there’s not a lot of money, yadda, yadda, yadda.
Don’t get me wrong: I have the utmost respect for start-ups. Amazon was a start-up once. So was Woot. But the most successful eCommerce start-ups (like Amazon, like Woot) have a plan, a strategy.
Strategies for Successful eCommerce
1. Remember, eCommerce is a business. Reread that sentence, because it’s an important one. eCommerce is more than the website on which you sell stuff (your website is a marketing/sales tool for your eCommerce business).
Before you open any business (if you plan on being successful, that is), you need to take certain steps that will likely include the following:
- Develop a business plan (including a thorough financial section).
- Conduct marketing research.
- Consider your competitors.
- Find partners (or staff) with expertise in marketing, eCommerce development, copywriting, SEO. (Note: an eCommerce consultant like Blue Acorn can often provide you with–and manage–vendors, such as copywriters.)
Notice I haven’t even mentioned building a website yet. That’s because this is going to be one of the last items in the process (yes, it’s a biggie, but it doesn’t come first). You need a plan, funding, marketing research, design etc. before you should even think about a website.
2. Come up with a realistic timeline for launch, with specific benchmarks and due dates. Work backwards. When do you ideally want to launch? Now consider every step that needs to happen to get there (going through this exercise will show you whether your launch date is realistic). Hint: you’ll want to work with many of the people I mention in #1.
3. Communicate: make sure everyone on the team is on the same page. Your eCommerce consultant, marketing person, copywriter, designer, etc. should all have access to one another.
4. Don’t be the bottleneck. Too often, well-meaning clients try to take on the bulk of the work. Sometimes they do this to save money; other times, it’s a control issue. Think of it like this: if you owned a retail store like Yankee Candle, you couldn’t work the registers, do the ordering, do the accounting, study marketing, and do everything else that goes into running the business by yourself. So what makes you think it’s any different for your eCommerce business that sells festive, scented candles?
5. Constantly educate yourself. This doesn’t mean prior to launch: it means before, during, and long after. Here are some good reads:
E-Commerce for Dummies by Don Jones, Mark Scott, Rick Villars
Start Your own E-Business by Robert McGarvey and Melissa Campanelli
Internet Marketing and e-Commerce by Ward Hanson and Kirthi Kalyanam
Do you have some other strategies for successful eCommerce? We want to hear them! Leave them in the comments section.
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